Space Cases: The Catalina Chronicles
by Mac Dragard
Summary: UPDATE 12.15.06: Episode 2 is up! My view of what Space Cases Season 3 should be. It has been one year since Catalina was pulled into Suzee's dimension, and now after Suzee's family was kidnapped, it's up to Catalina to save them.
1. Episode 1 The Parallel Life

SPACE CASES – The Catalina Chronicles

Episode 1 – The Parallel Life

Written by Nathan Broyles

Based on _Space Cases_™ by Bill Mumy and Peter David

(Author's Note: The story Catalina tells derives from an episode of Nickelodeon's _Are You Afraid of the Dark_ titled "The Tale of the Unfinished Painting", which Jewel Staite played the lead role in)

The stars were bright in the night sky on Yensid, a planet which orbited around the great sun, Amosh. The people who inhabited this planet were intelligent beings who were knowledgeable in the sciences and technological advances. Major futuristic-style cities were built with buildings lining the sky. Looking up at the stars from a telescope inside her bedroom was a young woman with chin-length, rainbow-colored hair.

Catalina was finishing up an astronomy homework assignment. Her guardian parents, Mr. and Mrs. Draak, home schooled her while she was living in this dimension. Mr. and Mrs. Draak are the biological parents of Suzee, Catalina's alternate-dimensional best friend. While she was in this new and strange dimension, Catalina lived a relatively quiet lifestyle. She misses the exciting adventures she had aboard the _Christa_. She misses her friends that she shared these adventures with. She even missed Miss Davenport's lectures, which was hard to believe. She wants to go back so badly. Suzee would tell Catalina how things are going with everyone on the _Christa_. Catalina is happy every time she hears about her friends, knowing that they are doing well.

It has been a year since Catalina has lived on Yensid. In that time period, the young Saturnian has been less dependent on Suzee in finding answers to questions and solving problems, but Suzee is never far away if she needed her. Her friendship with Suzee became stronger than ever after Suzee saved her from the explosion that sent her into this dimension. Catalina's dream is to become a chief engineer aboard a starship. Ever since she engineered the _Christa_, her passion for learning about mechanics, warp physics, and diagnostics of starships has grown tremendously. Mr. and Mrs. Draak have been helping her reach that dream by teaching her the same skills that Suzee takes for granted. Mr. Draak, a plump and jolly middle-aged man with purple hair, served as the chief engineer aboard the starship _Cecilia_ before marrying Mrs. Draak, a tall, skinny woman with flowing deep-red hair with blue streaks who works as a medical specialist at a hospital in the city. Their other daughter, Suzaa, who had long, curly purple and red hair tied in a pony tail, is only seven years old but already into the sciences. Catalina would tell Suzaa stories about her adventures aboard the _Christa_, the crazy argument her and Suzee got into over naming a comet, and the many times she cheated death.

Catalina finally finished her charting plot and put it away and prepared for bed by putting on rainbow-colored pajamas, cleaning her teeth, washing her face, and recording the day's events into her log. Before she turned off the lights, she picked up an electronic palmpad of some sort that advertised a trip to the mountains. Catalina smiled when the video ended. She was excited about waking up the next day because she and the Draaks planned the day to go camping in those mountains, which were located in a refuge area outside the city. After many months of straight studying, the young Saturnian needed a day off. She was especially excited about doing something fun for a change.

"Good night, Suzee," she said to her invisible friend. Catalina switched off the lights and fell asleep.

The next morning, Mr. and Mrs. Draak, along with Suzaa, were eating breakfast from the computerized table while waiting for Catalina. A person could enter anything they wanted for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or anything in between and it would automatically appear on the table. Although this technology has not been developed in Catalina's dimension, it was standard technology for Yensidians. The three Draaks were wearing comfortable clothes for the outdoors.

"Where is that Catalina?" asked Mrs. Draak. "I hope she didn't stay up too late."

"Good morning, everyone!" shouted a cheerful voice coming from the turbolift. Catalina skipped towards the table wearing rainbow-colored hiking clothes and gear, but she tripped and fell over due to the excessive weight. The three at the table laughed, but Catalina just frowned out of embarrassment.

"What do you have in there, your entire closet?" asked Mr. Draak jokingly.

"Ummm…I'm just coming prepared. You know, you can never be too sure what you need when you'll need it," replied Catalina as she stood up. She put her luggage on the floor, took her seat at the table, and selected 'Kalshjuice' and 'Kyshik Eggs Scrambled' from the console, which instantly appeared in front of her. Catalina began eating.

"So Catalina, how is your star chart project coming?" asked Mrs. Draak.

"Oh Glenda, you shouldn't even be bringing that up," said Mr. Draak. "The next few days out in the mountains should be a total retreat from anything and everything. These days, not many Yensidians enjoy the true sense of nature. They're always stuck in their laboratories and behind consoles working day-in and day-out. I'm surprised we haven't fallen over from all the stress. But we are going to enjoy ourselves like we do every year. Hiking, canoeing, swimming, fishing, and we can even watch the stars."

"I'm very excited," replied Catalina. "Back on Titan, camping was out of the question. I mean, who would want to camp out in a cold, frozen wasteland? I really appreciate you guys letting me go with you."

"I'm glad you're enthusiastic about it," said Mrs. Draak. "You see, Suzee never liked camping, especially when she got poison ivy for a week. Ever since then, she always stayed home to work on her projects."

Catalina giggled, but Suzee told her to "shut up".

After breakfast, the three Draaks and the young Saturnian headed out to the docking bay and put their luggage inside the cargo hold of a small ship that Mr. Draak dubbed _Velocitor_. He designed it himself in a 15-year project and has been using it ever since then. The ship is large enough to carry an average family but could accelerate far beyond the speed of light. Mr. and Mrs. Draak walked to the cockpit in the front of the ship. Mr. Draak took his seat at the helm on the left and Mrs. Draak took the passenger seat on the right. Catalina and Suzaa took their seats in the section of the ship immediately behind the cockpit. The two parts of the ship were separated by a wall with an open passage in the middle.

"All strapped in, kids?" asked Mr. Draak from the cockpit. Both Catalina and Suzaa acknowledged. Mr. Draak then activated the controls on the drive console and the _Velocitor_ launched out of the docking bay into the sky. The ship flew around large structures and under passages in the city until finally it reached the edge. Catalina and Suzaa looked out the window in amazement. The landscape was filled with rolling green hills with trees flowing towards the horizon. The ship flew directly over a river which streamed towards a huge lake surrounded by a ring of open land and an outer ring of trees at the base of tall mountains. Mr. Draak landed the ship in an open spot near the lake.

"Here we are," he said as he pushed the button to open the door to the ship. The four grabbed the luggage from the cargo hold and walked outside, taking a deep breath of fresh air. Catalina looked around in amazement as her feet touched the green grass. She spotted a flock of birds flying graciously over the lake that clearly reflected the blue sky above.

"Catalina, while me and Mrs. Draak set up camp, I need you to take Suzaa to gather some firewood" said Mr. Draak.

"But can't you just use a flame pedestal?" asked Catalina.

"Oh no no no. You see, we're doing everything the old fashioned way. It's no fun if we cheat ourselves with technology all the time. When you're in the outdoors, you must become a part of the outdoors. Who knows? You may find something interesting on the way."

Catalina smiled, but then frowned as Mr. Draak turned to set up the tent. She was not used to having to do manual labor, even if it was as simple as gathering a few sticks and logs in the woods.

"Yeah yeah, whatever Suzee," said Catalina after her invisible friend said "I told you so." and headed into the woods with Suzaa following.

"But you know Suzee, it's beautiful out here. So maybe I'll get used to it."

"Are you talking to my sister?" asked Suzaa as the two were walking together.

"Yeah, I am," replied Catalina smiling at the young Yensidian.

"When is she coming home? I…miss her…very much."

Catalina kneeled down to Suzaa's eye level and placed her hands on her shoulders with a firm smile. "I don't know. But we're working on it. Both of us. We both want to go home so badly. Suzee tells me everyday how heartbreaking it is to be away from you and your parents for so long. I'm sure we'll find a way. I promise. Oh, and Suzee is saying hello to you right now. She says she loves and misses you."

"I love you too, big sister!" said Suzaa cheerfully.

Catalina stood up and started picking up large sticks from the ground. Suzaa picked up a bunch of small sticks but then saw an amazing sight in one of the trees.

"Look Cat, an owl!"

"Shhhhh," said Catalina putting a finger to her lips. "You don't want to scare it away." The owl was sitting in a large nest. Another owl which was assumed to be the mate flew down and perched in the same tree. It brought back food of some sort that it caught in the woods. The two girls smiled.

"Nature certainly is amazing," said Catalina.

Later that day, Mr. and Mrs. Draak along with Suzaa decided to go scuba diving in the lake. They didn't need any special gear because Yensidians had both gills and lungs and could breathe in every atmosphere except for space. Saturnians like Catalina, however, were not so fortunate.

"Ya know, I can always let you borrow my emergency kit," said Mr. Draak standing in waist-deep water in his body suit next to Mrs. Draak and Suzaa. "I have it just in case I want to go scuba diving but my gills aren't functioning properly."

"That's okay. I don't like getting wet," said Catalina.

"Suit yourself," said Mr. Draak as he and Mrs. Draak and Suzaa walked towards the center of the lake and dove underwater.

Catalina walked slowly back towards the campsite and engaged in a conversation with her invisible friend.

"Well, it's just you and me now Suzee."

"Okay, I admit it. Saturnians are not hydrophobic; I'm just a wuss."

"Oh you're going to regret it if you tell any of the crew this. I'll tell them about how you start having tremors and break down and cry when there's no light around."

Suddenly, Catalina saw a flashing light from one of the distant mountains. She could not tell what it was, but she got the idea that someone else was out here. The young Saturnian stared as a light breeze blew through her face. Turning away, she took a seat upon a rock lying by the lakeside shore. Looking outward towards the lake, she used this opportunity to focus on a few things. She thought to herself "Am I truly in Paradise?" Catalina could not ask for a better life than what she is living right now. The Draaks were like a third family to her, and they treated Catalina as if she was one of their own. They were helping her pursue her lifelong dream to become a chief engineer. Her life on Titan was mundane. Her life on the _Christa_ was interesting but dangerous and full of odds and ends. They were fun times for Catalina and she did want to go back. But on Yensid, she feels she is at peace with herself. The birds, the trees, the hills, the mountains, and the lake. From home, she would have had to travel all the way to Earth to see such an amazing site. But here, it was like it traveled to her. Everything was going her way. Everything she ever wanted, she had here. Almost everything. Something was missing, and she felt it in her heart.

Catalina picked up her purse made of spung skin and examined it. She plainly remembered the day she first came to this dimension with an amputated spung arm. That arm belonged to Warlord Shank. She made that arm into the purse she holds now. The young Saturnian was happy to be alive and not a million particles floating in space, but one image comes to mind every time she looks at her purse – Harlan. Despite their brutal rivalry ever since they first met, over time she developed strong feelings for him. She remembered the kiss she gave Harlan moments before they departed for the last time. She faintly saw the look in his eyes before the air lock separated the two of them, but she realized right at that moment that he truly loved her. Just thinking about that moment, Catalina formed tears in her eyes. She knew that Harlan wished that he went in her place. Even after a year, it was still very painful thinking about it. But Catalina had hope. She knew one day things would go back to the way they were when she was on the _Christa_. Right now, she would trade everything she had to go back.

A few hours later, the three Draaks surfaced and walked towards the shore. Catalina was sitting back at the campsite playing a game on her palm computer.

"Woo, that was fun," said Mr. Draak taking a seat by the fire circle. "You really missed out, Cat. It's like discovering a whole new world down there."

"Oh, that's okay," replied Catalina. "Gave me time to be one with nature…"

"With a palm computer?"

Catalina was red in the face. "Um….hey I saw a light flashing earlier up in the mountains. I think we should check it out. There might be something there."

"Ahhh, great idea lassie. We'll take a hikin' trip tomorrow."

Suzaa ran up to Catalina and opened her hand, revealing shiny rainbow-colored rocks. "Look, big sister! Look what I found!" she exclaimed with excitement.

"Oh, those are so pretty," said Catalina in amazement. "Can I have one?"

"Sure you can," said Suzaa. Catalina picked the rock of her choice, gazed at it for a moment, and put it safely in her spung-skinned purse.

When nighttime fell, the four sat around the fire to tell stories, ranging from ghost stories to folk tales to humorous instances they've experienced. No one had more stories than Catalina.

"So there was this young Saturnian named Cassi who was into art. She would always sit outside and draw pictures of the terrain and the skyline. Cassi envied other peoples' artwork, believing that her own was inferior. One day, a young girl in a black dress and hat wanted to take her picture. She did so but then ran off. Her hat fell off, but the girl kept running without noticing. Cassi tried to stop the girl, but she was too far ahead. Cassi followed her to what appeared to be a shop of some sort. She went in, but the girl was no where to be found. Cassi did see amazing paintings on the wall, however. An old lady by the name of Mrs. Bhrams appeared and told Cassi after she asked that no such girl stopped by the place, but she would be more than happy to hold on to the hat for her. Cassi was so drawn in by the artwork that Mrs. Bhrams offered to show her around. So Cassi accepted, and there was a painting of a dance scene that was unfinished that caught her eye. Mrs. Bhrams asked Cassi to finish the painting. The freaky thing was during the time Cassi worked on the painting, she noticed a number of girls who were also working on paintings disappeared like they didn't even exist. Mrs. Bhrams would say a certain girl is not going to come back to paint for her because of 'other plans'. What freaked out Cassi at this point was the signature on the paintings that certain girls worked on was Mrs. Bhrams's signature, even though Cassi saw first hand that one of the girls signed. Later, Cassi found a cupboard of some sort with all the paintbrushes. Cassi reached for one and heard someone scream. She reached for few more and felt even more screams. It was as if there were souls trapped inside these paintbrushes! When Cassi finally finished her painting, Mrs. Bhrams asked her to sign it. Cassi said she didn't want to sign something that wasn't even hers in the first place, but Mrs. Bhrams insisted because Cassi's talent was in the painting. So she signed the painting, and she all the sudden found herself in an ongoing dance much like the one from the painting she worked on. Mrs. Bhrams took the painting and lit it on fire, knowing that Cassi's soul was trapped inside, but Cassi came to her senses, found her paintbrush, and snapped it in half, bringing her back to reality. Cassi confronted Mrs. Bhrams, who turned out to be an ancient demon that thrived on the souls of young Saturnian girls. Cassi took the paintbrushes and threw them into the fire that Mrs. Bhrams already started. The lost girls suddenly appeared back in reality and Mrs. Bhrams burnt to a crisp. The End."

"Lovely, wonderful," said Mr. Draak clapping.

"Very intriguing, Catalina," said Mrs. Draak.

"I have so many more to tell," boasted Catalina. "Like the time I escaped from the Prison of Luff, or how I almost fell off the Stargaze Tower back on Titan."

"That's enough for tonight," replied Mrs. Draak. "It's now time for bed. Look, Suzaa's already fallen asleep." Suzaa was lying on the log asleep wrapped up in a blanket. Mr. Draak gently picked Suzaa up and headed inside the tent. Mrs. Draak and Catalina followed. They were already dressed and prepared for bed, so they went straight to their sleeping bags.

"Good night, everyone," said Mr. Draak.

"Good night," replied Catalina. The young Saturnian cuddled her pillow, but she did not fall asleep immediately. She was excited about hiking the next day and finding out what that flashing light on top of the mountain really was. Part of her thinks that it's something extraordinary, but another part of her is skeptical of what it really could be. Whatever it was, she would find out tomorrow.

The next morning, the four put on their hiking gear and sat by the fire for breakfast. Mrs. Draak was cooking flapjacks and pieces of meat. Mr. Draak carved a walking stick with his pocket knife. As Catalina was eating, she suddenly saw the flashing light again.

"There it is!" shouted Catalina.

"Ah, so it is," said Mr. Draak, who also saw the flashing light. "Maybe someone is up there."

"Do you really think it's a good idea to be walking to suspicious places?" asked Mrs. Draak.

"Glenda, we're out here to explore and have a good time. If there's something we see that's worth checking out, by golly we're going to check it out. Right Cat?"

"Yeah, of course," replied Catalina smiling.

The four started heading up the mountain trail with Mr. Draak wearing a straw hat leading the group, followed by Mrs. Draak, Suzaa, and Catalina. All four of them were carrying walking sticks and knapsacks. Along the way they saw the wonderous view of the valley below. They also spotted several hawks that flew up and down the mountainside. The trail was long and tiring on everyone's feet, so they decided to take a rest in a wide open area on the trail. Catalina knew they were close, and she was more curious than the other three.

"Hey, um, Mr. Draak? I'm just going to check what's around the corner here real quick. I won't go far," said Catalina.

"Okay, dear. Just be careful," said Mr. Draak.

Catalina walked around the bend only to find a dead end, but she saw a brown mechanical device standing by the wall. It stood on four legs and had a round, shiny, flat clear surface at the top of it. She went to examine the controls. There was a large dial on the side of the machine. Catalina turned it clockwise and a light illuminated from the clear surface. Catalina looked at the machine in shock, discovering that this is where the flashing light came from.

"Someone must have been up here. But who?" Catalina asked herself. She looked up and it appeared that there were steps built into the rocky wall that lead up about 12 feet to an opening of some sort. Catalina began to climb the steps.

"Well Suzee, I hope curiosity doesn't kill the cat…pardon the pun," she said as she was climbing. When Catalina reached the top, she stood before what looked like a hangar bay. Inside was a large ship. Catalina was familiar with the type of ships from Yensid, but this one was unrecognizable to her. It looked like a cruiser of some sort. It was long, wide, and had a dark grey hull. The young Saturnian walked slowly towards the ship. All of the sudden, two men with thick black armor and black spiky helmets walked out of the ship. Catalina froze.

"Look, an intruder!" said one of them pointing straight at Catalina.

"Sound the alarm!" shouted the other one.

Catalina turned around and ran as fast as she could back down the mountain trail with her heart pounding as fast as ever.

"Where is that girl?" said Mr. Draak heading up the mountain trail with Mrs. Draak and Suzaa following. Catalina skidded down as fast as she could and met the Draak's midway on the incline of the path.

"Guys, we have to get out of here, NOW!" shouted Catalina, but it was too late. About seven of the same armored humanoids quickly crawled down from the mountain edge with their claws.

"Cat, take Suzaa and run back to the ship as fast as you can!" demanded Mr. Draak.

"But what about you?!" cried Catalina

"We'll hold them off, just go!"

Catalina ran down the mountain trail holding Suzaa's hand tightly. She felt as if she never ran so fast in her life. She reached a curve in the path where two more of the armored men crawled down the mountain wall. They held long black spears in their hands and advanced towards Catalina and Suzaa. Suzaa quickly hid behind Catalina, who released a loud scream that emitted sonic waves, knocking the two armored men back towards the mountain wall. Part of the wall started to collapse as a result of Catalina's scream, causing several huge rocks to fall on the two men. Catalina and Suzaa continued running down the path. Suddenly, Catalina slipped on some rocks and fell over the edge.

"BIG SISTER!!!" shouted Suzaa as Catalina rolled down the slope, disappearing in the set of trees. At that moment, Suzaa was grabbed from behind by one of the armored men. This one actually had large black wings. Suzaa screamed as she was being carried away. He flew her back up near the top where the strange ship was. Mr. and Mrs. Draak failed to fight them off, seeing as they were bounded by their hands and knees and guarded by four of the armored men. The winged man did the same with Suzaa and threw her into the guarded circle.

Mr. Draak was furious. "If you hurt her, I'll…I'll…"

"Do what?" asked a mysterious voice. A short pale man with long black robes, sunglasses, and a black hat appeared from the shadow of the cave. "Let me introduce myself. I am Lord Magus of Pehgus. I serve the Great Queen Jennu. Our little trap worked perfectly. We knew attracting traveling Yensidians in a remote area on their planet was the best way to go. And who am I to find out of all people? Mr. Yavis Draak, the famous engineering genius. I certainly am lucky. As our hostages, your planet shall certainly be at the mercy of the Pehgan Empire."

"Sir, there was one more. A girl with rainbow-colored hair," said one of the winged men flying in. "The other squadmen have lost trace of her. She's nowhere to be found."

"She could not have gotten far," said Magus. "No matter, she won't get very far out here, and she will never leave this planet alive. Our forces are on their way to destroy this planet. Take the hostages into the ship and throw them into the brig. We have more important matters to attend to."

"Aye, sir," said the winged, armored man. He and a couple other armored men assisted in carrying Mr. and Mrs. Draak along with Suzaa into the ship.

Catalina only rolled about halfway down the slope of the wooded mountainside before breaking her fall on a tree trunk. The young Saturnian was bruised and scratched from the impact of the fall. She stood up and looked around. She was alone now. Worried, tired, and out of breath, Catalina stumbled while attempting to walk down the slope. She saw a ship fly through the sky into space, which she recognized as the ship docked inside the cave. Catalina fell on her knees and began to cry.

"Suzee…what do I do? Your family may be dead because of me and it's all my fault! Now I'm lost in woods alone!" Tears streamed from Catalina's eyes. Suzee demanded that Catalina stop crying, get up, and head back to the _Velocitor_ to fly and catch up with them.

"Shouldn't I just tell someone? Why does it have to be me?" Suzee replied by saying that she doesn't have time and she had total faith in her to save her family.

"I hope you're right, Suzee. I think you're nuts, but you're right, I have no other choice." Catalina wiped the tears away from her eyes and stood up. She took out her palm computer, which could track where the _Velocitor_ is since she left her charging mechanism on the ship. The young Saturnian found her way back to the campsite. She didn't have time to pack up the camp, but that wouldn't matter much if the Pehgans destroyed the planet. Bringing only what she needed, Catalina rushed into the ship and took her seat at the helm. Suzee assisted in telling Catalina how to fly the ship. Catalina activated the controls necessary to power up the ship and then used the navigating controls to fly the _Velocitor_ straight into space.

"I will get your family back, Suzee. They are my only responsibility now." Catalina sat firmly at the controls of the helm as the _Velocitor _flew into high orbit.

-To Be Continued-


	2. Episode 2 The Suicide Mission

SPACE CASES – The Catalina Chronicles

Episode 2 – The Suicide Mission

Written by Nathan Broyles

Based on _Space Cases_™ by Bill Mumy and Peter David

(Author's Notes: 1 - If this series was televised, Thomas would be played by Patrick Stewart. 2 - It is obvious I am not a professional writer and may have faulty sentence structure from time to time, so don't hesitate to point that out, especially in the dialog parts.)

The planet Pehgus is a place covered in shadow. The sky has a deep red hue to it. Covering the planet's surface are black buildings with light shining from the windows. Flying vessels scattered through the sky over the metropolis. In the heart of the city, there are three tall black towers that stood thousands of feet in the air. The towers are connected to each other by several crosswalks. From an aerial view, the towers form a triangle if a line connected to the top of each of them. Inside sits a young queen on her throne in a room with black and red drapery.

Queen Jennu wore a long black and red dress along with a crown that covered every part of her head except for her face. The crown was silver and cylinder-shaped. She stood up and walked from her throne with the train of her dress dragging on the black-marble floor and stood at the large glass window, looking out toward the city. Jennu was a dominant, powerful queen who would get anything she wanted even if it meant taking it by force. What she wanted was for her empire to spread all across the universe and for people to follow her way of living, or they would perish. As she sipped from her goblet, she smiled while viewing the thriving metropolis.

A plump woman with tied-back black hair and black robes entered the throne room with the permission of the guards. Her name is Ashu, the queen's head advisor.

"My Lady," said Ashu kneeling before the queen. "The council wishes to gather. Something they wish to discuss of importance I'm sure."

"Go and let them know I will be there in a few," Jennu responded.

"As you wish, my queen." Ashu stood up and left the room.

The council consisted of twenty people, all appointed by the queen and including the queen. Ashu was one of the twenty, taking her seat with the others at the long, black-marble table. All twenty members were expected to be present except for Lord Magus, who is on the other side of the galaxy. Jennu entered the room a moment later.

"All rise for Queen Jennu," said Jesu, who is the head ambassador of the council. All eighteen members stood up as Jennu walked to her chair at the far end of the table. She sat and flared her sleeves as she put her hands on the table together. The eighteen other council members took their seats

"So, what issue is on the table?" asked Jennu.

"My queen, Lord Magus has recently informed us that the acquisition of planet Yensid is going as planned. He wished to bring the council together to report on his status. He is on standby," said Jonpo, a plump man wearing black robes and had black hair with blonde streaks.

"On screen," said Jennu.

Lord Magus appeared on a holographic screen that projected from the center of the table.

"My queen, I have very good news for you," he said. "I have kidnapped Yensid's most renowned engineering genius, Mr. Yavis Draak, along with his wife and youngest daughter. I already spoke with the planet's leaders about…negotiations. They gave up without a struggle."

"The Yensidians' pacifist ways is certainly their undoing," replied the queen.

"There was, however, a girl who somehow got away, but she was not native to the planet, according to my squad."

"Oh really? What makes you so sure?"

"They said she didn't have exposed gills, and her hair was different. It was…like a spectrum. And she had a scream that emitted a powerful sonic wave."

"Interesting…I want to find this girl, and bring her to me personally. The others, our system will deal with."

"She was just a little girl. Alone in this wide remote area, she could be dead by now. They said she fell."

"Don't be a fool, Magus. I know from experience that even a little girl can go far."

"I ordered a blockade on the planet. Even if she did survive, she will never leave, and the Yensidians will be forced to hand her over."

"I look forward to it. Screen off." The hologram disappeared.

Catalina sat at the helm of the _Velocitor_ wearing her grey Star Academy uniform. By wearing it, she felt more sophisticated. The ship just left escape velocity of the planet Yensid and is now in the openness of space. Catalina was listening to Suzee telling her how to navigate the ship.

"Okay, setting the thrusters at .36 and leveling up on the front steering," said Catalina repeating what Suzee told her. "The ions that emitted from their rear thrusters are still leaving a fresh trail. I can use the auto track function to trace them." Suzee told her that wasn't a good idea because the cruiser could possibly detect if a ship was locked on to them. "Oh…not a good idea after all. Okay." Catalina sighed as she got up from her seat and headed towards the back of the ship. She figured if she was going to stay on the same course for a while, she would check out the rest of the ship and maybe even study how the engine runs. She didn't have to worry much about food because the ship had an automatic food dispenser. When she reached the back of the ship, Catalina found a door that looked like a closet of some sort. Suzee wasn't able to tell her what it was at this moment because one thing she promised herself was to not communicate with Catalina while any other crew member of the _Christa_ was present. Until a way to get home for the both of them was found, Suzee believed it would be best if their long lost comrade was not brought to light.

"Weird…if this isn't the cargo hold, I wonder what could be in here." Catalina found the controls to the door under a flap on the wall that was hiding them. She pushed the button to open the door and jumped back putting her hand to her mouth after seeing what was in front of her. A tall, bald man wearing silver clothes with red lining and a microphone connected to his ear and ending at his mouth stood completely still with his eyes shut.

"An android," Catalina said in shock. She would have never guessed that the Draaks owned their very own humanoid android much like Thelma. She wondered even more why he was locked up in the closet and never mentioned of by Suzee or her family. Catalina examined the android closer. She was curious to know if it even still functioned. Reaching behind the neck, Catalina found a small switch and flipped it.

"WOAH!" the android shouted and pushed Catalina back several feet. Catalina skidded on the floor. The android started moving his arms around while examining them.

"Where am I? How did I get here? What has happened? Are we in danger?"

Catalina stood up and walked towards the android.

"You, little girl. I do not recognize you. Where is the master?"

"The master?" Catalina asked.

The android configured information in his head. "His name is Yavis Draak. I assisted him in constructing the starship _Velocitor_."

"Oh yeah, you're on that ship right now," Catalina smiled.

"Ah, and I take it you must be his daughter?"

"Um…no. He's just watching over me. It's a long story. But your master is in danger right now. He was taken hostage along with his wife and second daughter. I'm doing what I can to try and save them."

"You? But you're just a little girl."

"You'll soon discover that I am much more than you think I am."

"What is your name, little girl?"

"My name? My name is Catalina, but my friends call me Cat."

"Catalina. That is a very nice name. My name is THOMAS – Techno Human Operations and Mechanics Assistant. And according to my databanks, I have not been activated for 27 years, 5 months, and 14 days."

"Oh wow. You've been in this closet that long?"

"I believe so. I assume I was no longer needed. The ship is complete. I have no more use for anything."

"No."

"No?"

"I…I could use you…for assistance. You see, I've never flown a ship by myself before, let alone deep into the unknown. All I have is my friend Suzee, who cannot be there all the time and is not…"

"Suzee?" Thomas interrupted.

"Oh, she's my best friend. You can't see her because she's in another dimension. She's actually Mr. Draak's daughter. Again, long story. Maybe I'll tell you about it later?"

"Very interesting."

"Look, Thomas, I could really use your help on the ship. Seeing as you assisted in building this ship, I assume you know it inside and out. If you can't do anything, at least you'd be keeping me company."

Thomas stared into Catalina's eyes. "Very well then. I shall assist you at the helm."

Catalina smiled. "Come on, this way." Catalina led Thomas to the cockpit. The young Saturnian took her seat at the helm as Thomas took the passenger seat.

"What course are we setting?" asked Thomas.

"We're following an ion trail left by a cruiser, which is carrying the Draaks. I can't retrieve an analysis on the cruiser without being detected."

Thomas plugged in to the ship's internal computer system in order to communicate what it picks up. "The _Velocitor_ is traveling at 380,382 kilometers per second at steady speed."

All of the sudden, an alarm went off inside the ship.

"What is that?" asked Catalina.

"Several ships are coming out of warp. We need to slow down."

Catalina slowed the ship to impulse. She saw five large, dark-grey ships heading towards her.

"Well, hiding won't do us any good now. Lets scan to see what ships these are," said Catalina as she configured some controls on the dashboard. The console screen read 'Pehgan Juggernauts'.

"It appears to be a blockade team," said Thomas.

"They look like the same type of ships as the cruiser," said Catalina.

"What course of action do you suggest?"

"Well, I come from a long lineage of diplomats. I'm sure we can work things out."

"But from my understanding, sometimes diplomacy isn't always the answer."

The ships moved closer and closer to the _Velocitor_. A beeping noise was coming from the console.

"We're receiving a hail," said Thomas.

"Put it on the screen," said Catalina.

A man in a black uniform with the Pehgan insignia on it appeared on the console screen.

"Greetings," he said. "I am Admiral Maloc Javan of the Pehgan flagship _Interceptor_. I have orders from Queen Jennu to find and bring before her a young girl with rainbow-colored hair. We hoped on our way to Yensid that we would find her flying around, and it looks like our lucky day. Prepare to be boarded." The screen switched back to what it was before the hail.

"Okay, negotiations are over. Lets high-tail it out of here," said Catalina, but the ships started to close in on the _Velocitor_.

"Powering weapons systems," said Thomas.

"Wait wait wait! We have a weapon system on this ship?!" asked Catalina shockingly.

"We have shields too. The master was always prepared."

Catalina slapped her hands on the console. "Great! And I thought this was supposed to be a FAMILY caravan."

"From my analysis, the _Velocitor_'s maneuverability capability is superior, so we should have no problem getting around these vessels."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?"

Catalina piloted the _Velocitor_ directly under the juggernaut vessels. Turrets from the vessels began firing at the ship.

"Shields are holding steady," said Thomas.

The _Velocitor_ reached the back of the vessels, which emitted small, grey star-shaped fighter ships.

"The Pehgan Juggernauts have launched an array of small fightercraft headed our way. Switching to attack mode," said Thomas configuring controls.

"Attack mode? Are you crazy?!" yelled Catalina.

"You underestimate the _Velocitor_'s capabilities."

"It's suicide if you think we're going to be able to fight off an entire blockade team in this small ship!"

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall, I believe that is the correct quote. It is imperative that we stop them from reaching Yensid. That is the most important thing."

"Fine, but if you're wrong…"

"An android is never wrong."

Catalina turned the ship around and headed towards the small fighter ships. Thomas operated the _Velocitor_'s weapons control system.

"Firing rapid phasers now," said Thomas. Rapid firepower bursted from the _Velocitor_'s turrets, instantly destroying a good number of the small fighter ships. Catalina was stunned over what just happed. The _Velocitor _moved straight towards the Pehgan Juggernaunts. More fighter ships advanced towards the _Velocitor_ firing lasers. The _Velocitor_ responded by destroying every ship in its path.

"Wow, I can't believe it," said Catalina. "We're making sport of these guys!"

"I am currently locating a weakpoint in the juggernaunt's hull," said Thomas. "We do not have enough firepower to destroy the ships, but we can disable them if we knock out their shield generators first. You will need to move the ship closer so I can pinpoint the target."

Catalina piloted the _Velocitor_ under one of the juggernaunts while attempting to avoid laserfire.

"There. The shield generator is located on the aft tower," said Thomas. Catalina flew the ship up to the aft tower on one of the juggernaunts, and Thomas fired lasers at it to cripple it. The _Velocitor_ moved towards the bridge of the juggernaunt while heavy firepower was coming from it. Thomas fired rapid fire towards the bridge and in random areas around the front of the ship. The _Velocitor _flew away from the juggernaunt as it stood dead in space.

Aboard the flagship _Interceptor_, the men were working frantically at their stations on the bridge. Admiral Javan walked around the bridge in circles.

"Sir, we're receiving a distress call from one of our ships," said a uniformed man at one of the stations. Admiral Javan walked over and viewed the distorted message on the screen.

"We…dead…space…destroyed…main engines…life support…" said a man gasping for his breath before the screen became totally distorted.

"A tiny shipped piloted by an adolescent is able to destroy many of our fightercraft and render a juggernaunt useless. How can that be possible?" asked Javan. "I want shields at maximum power and phasers on full charge on all ships in the blockade team, but do not destroy the ship; Queen Jennu wants her alive."

Back on the _Velocitor_, Catalina navigated the ship while Thomas fired the guns when necessary.

"Wow, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this," said Catalina, who performed some fancy maneuvers. "I will try what I call 'The Catalina Maneuver'. Thomas, I need you to put as much power as you can to the aft shields."

"Aye, sir," said Thomas.

"Sir?" replied Catalina, sounding insulted.

"Universal protocol."

"Well I would prefer you not use it."

"How about I call you 'captain' then?"

"Captain?"

"You are the one piloting the ship."

"I…I like that. Yeah, you can call me 'captain'. Captain Catalina of the Cosmos!"

"Then so be it."

Catalina flew the ship around one of the other juggernauts in order to make it follow her. The juggernaut began firing phasers at the _Velocitor_'s aft hull while the shields held steady. She made the juggernaut chase her at full speed until she reached the side of another juggernaut and pulled up and out of the way. The following juggernaut could not break.

"Sir, we're on a collision course with one of the other ships!" exclaimed a man at the helm.

"Brace for impact!" shouted the captain. The juggernaut crashed into the other juggernaut, rendering both of them useless.

"Two more to go," said Thomas. Catalina flew the ship back towards the two remaining ships but knew that her trick would not work again. All of the sudden, Suzee began communicating with her telepathically.

"Suzee, this is not a good time to talk. I'm in the middle of some crazy battle."

"Well I don't know what's going on either. Apparently your dad's ship is a war vessel in disguise and I'm stuck here navigating it while this android here, who you've never told me about, is controlling a surprise weapon system that has the ability to disable major war ships."

"It was his idea! I didn't want to stay and fight, but Thomas here suggested that we take on the blockade before it reached Yensid."

There was a pause. Lasers from the smaller fightercraft were firing at the _Velocitor_ while the shields were still holding steady.

"Oh no," said Catalina. "Thomas, Suzee says that the flagship, which is typically a level-3 juggernaut, carries radioactive homing missiles that would destroy our ship with a single hit."

"That is impossible," replied Thomas. "Such weapons have been banned by the Treaty of Galephilo."

Aboard the _Interceptor_, Admiral Javan looked stern out of disbelief as he viewed the destruction of three of three juggernauts.

"This is impossible," he muttered to himself. "How can one ship be such a nuisance? Commander…fire the dredgers."

"But sir," replied the commander. "I thought they were to be kept alive."

"I would rather lose my head than my dignity. That is an order."

"Yes sir."

Back on the _Velocitor_, the alarm began blaring and a red light started flashing. Catalina did not have to ask to know that several missiles were flying towards the ship.

"Okay, I think it's time to leave," said Catalina. She turned the ship around at full speed, but the missiles continued to follow the ship. The young Saturnian flew the ship in many directions while maintaining full speed. She started to sweat and her heart started beating faster as the missiles came closer and closer. She was running out of options and had to make a decision quickly.

"Allow the missiles to fly into the juggernauts? Sounds like a great idea Suzee, but I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off."

Suzee informed Catalina that she had to fly towards one of the juggernauts and then make a sharp turn at the last split second, causing the missiles to fly into the juggernaut instead.

"Okay Thomas, we're going to kill two birds with one stone." Catalina flew the ship towards the _Interceptor_. The command crew aboard the flagship saw the _Velocitor _flying towards them.

"RAISE THE SHIELDS!!" shouted Admiral Jarvan. The officers on the bridge ducked and hid under their stations. The _Velocitor_ flew out of the way in the nick of time as planned, and the missiles flew right through the bridge. Luckily, Catalina was able to fly the ship into warp at that moment in order to avoid the explosion. The impact from the missiles was so great that it created a chain reaction throughout the entire ship and caused it to explode. The remaining juggernaut was too close to avoid being hit by flying debris and the aftershock ripple of the explosion, which disabled the ship.

Many light years away, Lord Magus's cruiser flew through the great sea of space. On board, a black-armored soldier man entered a dark chamber. Dark-colored mists permeated the room as Magus sat in deep meditation.

"My Lord…" said the armored soldier. The mist cleared away, a light illuminated the chamber, and Magus awoke.

"You better have a good excuse for interrupting my meditation," said Magus in a threatening way.

"Forgive me, my lord, but we're receiving a distress call from the blockade team you sent out."

Magus looked stunned. The last thing he expected was for an entire blockade team to be sending out a distress call on a relatively simple mission. He proceeded out of his chamber and walked towards the bridge with the soldier following him. On the bridge, he headed towards the communications console and opened the hail.

"This is Lord Magus responding to the Yensid blockade team. What seems to be the problem?"

A captain from one of the disabled juggernauts responded weakly. "Our blockade team is dead in space. We've lost a lot of men. The _Interceptor _has been destroyed. I can't communicate with any of the other ships."

"There are no enemy threats in that part of space. How did this happen?" asked Magus.

"The damage was caused not by many, but one ship. The missing girl we're looking for was flying it."

"You're telling me that a single ship was able to render the entire blockade useless?"

"Yes. We underestimated the power of the ship. It looks like a simple small cruiser but had a sufficient weapons system, shields, and superior mobility."

"Very interesting."

"Please, my lord, we're losing life support. We need aid."

Looking grimly, Magus pulled out a device with a switch on it. "Of course. I shall end your suffering." He flipped the switch and all four remaining juggernauts instantly self destructed. Afterwards, he turned and exited the bridge, meeting up with two other armored soldiers.

"Go fetch the prisoners from the brig and meet me in the interrogation room," he said to them.

Magus sat in a chair behind a large grey table in the middle of an empty room. The door opened and the three Draaks, who were chained together, were shoved in by armored guards. The door slid shut and the two armored guards guarded it from inside.

"Welcome, welcome," said Magus clasping his hands together with his elbows on the table. "How are our prisoners doing?"

"You…you despicable cretin!" exclaimed Mr. Draak angrily. "You let us go or I'll…I'll…"

"Go on," said Magus, amused by the taunt.

"We've done nothing. We have nothing. We're totally innocent."

"You have a ship. _Velocitor_, right?"

"What does that have to do anything? Nothing special about it at all."

"Really? Nothing special. Is that so?"

"It's just a family vessel. Nothing more."

"Then maybe you can explain to me how this family vessel of yours was able to bring down my entire blockade team and leave with barely a scratch."

"That's preposterous."

"Apparently the Saturian girl you've been taking care and who we're looking for piloted the ship. She was accompanied by an android of some sort according to the reports."

"Catalina…" said Mr. Draak surprisingly.

Magus came down grimly to Mr. Draak face-to-face. "You are going to tell me _everything_ about this ship of yours."

"You? Never! I'll never tell you anything."

Magus pulled out a large knife and walked over to Suzaa. "You know, the eyes of a beautiful child would be a fine finishing touch to my latest sculpture." Suzaa cried and buried herself in her mother's arms.

"Alright! Alright! I'll tell you!" said Mr. Draak. "Anything."

"Good…good," said Magus putting the knife away and walking back to the table to sit in his chair. "Now, let's start from the beginning."

The _Velocitor_ continued to travel through space at maximum warp. After an experience like none other, Catalina sat at the helm and took deep sighs of relief.

"Well, I'm glad that's over. But we lost the ion trail during the battle," said Catalina. "Now it won't be as easy to track down the kidnappers."

"Fear not, Captain." said Thomas. "The Pehgans are well known all over the galaxy. We should stop on various planets so we can gather information to their whereabouts."

"Okay, where do we start?"

"According to the datalog, I believe Shoku IV would be the wisest choice. 23 parsecs away."

"Alright, setting a course for it now," said Catalina while configuring the controls. Suzee began engaging in telepathic communication with Catalina again now that Suzee was alone in a room aboard the _Christa_.

"Well Suzee, I never thought I was going to get out of that mess alive. I guess my piloting skills aren't that bad, huh? Wait until I show off to Harlan…that is, if I ever get back to my own dimension."

"Okay, fine Suzee. You do deserve credit for helping out. Thank you."

"Don't worry, if we could fight off an entire blockade, I'm certain we can find your family in time and bring them back safely. I'm not going to let you down…I hope."

The _Velocitor _flew straight through deep space, marking only the beginning of an incredible adventure for a young Saturnian girl and an android.

-To Be Continued-


End file.
